I am the Enchantress!

Chapter 13 The Mage Apprentice

Wilde closed the Adventurer's Advancement Manual.

The back of the booklet has a line of small print: The job assessment location is at 19 Oak Road, on the second floor of the Adventurers' Guild (Ironweave Town Branch). Please consult the staff for the specific room.

Having learned from books, he decided to go to the second floor for an actual evaluation test.

Ascending the wooden stairs to the second floor, it was much quieter than the bustling noise downstairs, yet it was far from deserted.

The benches on both sides of the corridor were filled with all sorts of people.

There were warriors carrying iron helmets, knights-errant with bows and arrows on their backs, and priests silently reciting prayers. Everyone seemed a little nervous, much like the scene before Wilder took his driving test in his previous life.

"So many people..."

Wilder muttered something to himself and went to the registration desk on one side of the corridor. Behind the desk was a half-open door, from which he could faintly hear chopping sounds.

This should be the place.

"Hello, is this where I can take the job level assessment?"

The person in charge of registration was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing half-moon shaped glasses. His hand trembled slightly as he wrote, but his handwriting was exceptionally neat.

"Name?" He didn't even look up.

"Wild".

"age?"

"eighteen."

"Profession?"

"Master."

The old man paused, looked up at him, then looked down again and pointed to the far end of the corridor: "The Mage Evaluation Room, the one on the right at the end of the corridor."

"Don't mages play with other classes?" Wilder asked.

"Mages are precious; we're afraid other classes might harm you," the old man said, bewildered, before ignoring him and calling out to the back, "Next!"

Wilder had no choice but to walk further down the corridor.

Sure enough, a slightly worn wooden sign hung on the last door on the right.

The monk's evaluation.

The door was closed, so he knocked twice.

"Please come in."

Wilder pushed open the door and entered.

The room fit the stereotype of a monk: bookshelves on both sides reached the ceiling, filled with all sorts of books, and on the long wooden table by the window, notes and torn parchment were piled up haphazardly.

A young woman was sitting behind the long table.

She looked to be under thirty, with light blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail, and wearing a well-tailored dark blue robe.

"Please sit down." She gestured to the chair in front of the table.

Wilder and she sat facing each other.

"Hello, I am Fina Draeneis, who is in charge of mage evaluation."

"Hello, my name is Wilder."

"What's your surname?"

"I don't have a surname."

Fina glanced at Wilder, remaining expressionless: "What level do you want to be tested for?"

"Apprentice? Or beginner?" Wilder wasn't sure what stage he was at.

Fina frowned: "First time here?"

Wilder nodded.

"You need to take the apprentice test first." She shook her head helplessly. "Only by becoming an apprentice can you be eligible to apply for the junior level, and the mage who assesses junior level is not here today. Even if you pass the apprentice test, you'll have to wait until next time."

Wilder nodded awkwardly.

Okay, this is how new employees are treated.

"Let's start the test now." Fina pointed to the door. "Stand over there with your back against the door."

Wilder, not understanding why, stood there.

"Now, tell me what you see."

After speaking, Fina gently raised her right hand, and a faint white light gathered in her palm. With a gentle wave, the white light dissipated into the air.

An ordinary person would be unable to see anything at this point, but in Wilder's eyes, a pattern made of a magical network clearly appeared in the air.

It turns out that this method is used to test whether the test taker can sense the magical network.

"What did you see?" Fina asked.

"A circle."

Fina nodded, at least confirming that this person wasn't there to have fun.

He waved his hand again, and the magical network floating in the air instantly changed shape.

"And now?"

"A triangle," Wilde replied.

"Um."

"And..." Wilder didn't finish his sentence, adding, "There are two more dots in the bottom right corner."

Fina was taken aback.

She squinted at the magical network hidden in the air. Besides the triangle, there were indeed two inconspicuous spots in the lower right corner, probably left behind accidentally when she dispelled the circle.

How could you notice that?

And it happened in an instant.

The test could have ended here, but Fina seemed to want to verify something, and waved her hand again to change the magic network.

"And this time?"

"1235, four numbers," Wilder replied immediately.

Fina frowned, her hands moving rapidly: "Let me take another look."

"564712395412." Wilder recited the number almost without pausing.

Fina was stunned.

The apprentices are tested; as long as they can see the basic shapes, they pass. Those with high talent might be able to read the numbers with difficulty.

Such speed is unprecedented; only a novice mage could achieve this.

A mage's abilities are not as easily quantifiable as those of other professions. Mastering more spells only means you've bought more scrolls, not necessarily that you have more ability.

Casting speed, spell quality, ability to store spells, and the ability to sense spells... are all taken into consideration.

This is also why an interview is required for the mage job assessment.

The methods to enhance these abilities are mysterious and enigmatic.

According to the theory of Karenso Valerius, the current president of the Association of Mages, a mage's abilities mainly come from "intelligence".

But intelligence is just a concept, unlike strength or agility, which can be improved through training.

The current mainstream practice method is "meditation," but the effects vary from person to person, and it is still unknown whether one advances because of meditation.

Wilder's ability to perceive magic, as he just demonstrated, far surpasses that of an apprentice and is even better than that of some novice mages.

She looks no older than twenty.

Did he discover some way to increase intelligence?

"Is there anything else?"

Wilder was very familiar with this kind of test.

Isn't this just like testing eyesight during a physical exam?

"That's all." Fina's tone returned to calm. "Your magical network perception ability is up to standard. You've passed the mage apprentice certification."

She pulled a stamped parchment from the table and wrote Wilder's name and the date of the evaluation on it.

Then she took a wooden box from the bottom drawer and pushed it in front of Wilde.

"Apprentice certification passed. The association will give you a Level 1 magic scroll as a gift. Choose one yourself."

Wilder's eyes lit up immediately.

He had heard Cyrion mention that the cheapest of these level one spell scrolls in the magic supply shops of Ironweave Town would cost at least one gold coin.

Wilde opened the wooden box.

Inside were neatly stacked a dozen or so sheepskin scrolls tied with ribbons, each scroll bearing a label:

Alarm technique, colorful ball, slipping on the soles of the feet, jumping...

It's hard to make a decision right now.

The two spells he currently possesses, along with the specializations provided by the system, are all geared towards control.

Increase damage.

If combined with the [Greasy Technique]...

"Do you have a fireball spell?" he asked.

Fina looked up and rolled her eyes at him: "That's a level three spell, go buy it yourself."

"oh."

Wilder smiled, his gaze finally settling on a scroll labeled "Burning Hand".

It's known as the Little Fireball Technique.

Although the burst is much worse, it can still ignite the oil.

"This is it." He pulled out the reel, feeling quite pleased with himself.

This trip was really worth it; I only had my eyesight tested and got a free magic scroll.

"Alright." Fina put away the wooden box and handed him the completed apprenticeship certificate. "Apprenticeship certification, cost two gold coins."

Wilder's smile froze on his face.

"What?"

"The certificate processing fee is two gold coins," Fina repeated. "All certified individuals are required to pay this fee."

Wilder had no choice but to pay.

Just as he was about to leave the evaluation room, Fina called out to him from behind: "The mage who did the initial evaluation is on a mission and will be back next week."

"OK, thanks."

Wilder closed the door, looked at the paper worth two gold coins and the scroll worth one gold coin, smiled bitterly, and went downstairs and left.

The old man at the registration desk was filling out a certificate for a qualified soldier. He glanced up at Wilder, who was passing by with a frown, and couldn't help but smile.

It's so much easier to make money off mages!

"Congratulations, you have successfully become a certified warrior apprentice."

He handed the completed certificate to a waiting soldier, saying, "Pay the processing fee, two silver coins."